Disappeared News

Monday, August 19, 2013

Transcend is 20 years old! I can still remember Prof. Galtung’s classes at the University of Hawaii – the material, and the methodology, was available nowhere else.

Today’s world seems to be as troubled as ever. As I type this, continued killings are taking place in Egypt, the highest death toll in its modern history. This makes the work of Transcend and its creator, Prof. Galtung, all the more important and relevant.

Please consider supporting the organization (disclosure: I’m a member) by purchasing one or more of the books linked below. One (Book 11) is by Hawaii’s own Ramon Lopez‑Reyes.

TRANSCEND: A Peace*Development*Environment Network was founded on March 1993 out of frustrations with a government-sponsored institute in Oslo, Norway–political direct and indirect interference–and a university chair with academic freedom–but all disciplines jealously guarding their academic turfs against inter-disciplinary intruders.

And one very positive experience with a conflict resolution proposal in 1967–a UN Security Commission for Europe like the UN Economic Commission–picked up in 1989-90 and implemented successfully by Czechoslovakia and the Soviet Union. Exactly how and by whom, I was told at a conference in Luxemburg on March 1993 by the then Czech ambassador to Paris, in those years the deputy foreign minister, before that a Dubcek dissident, and in 1967 a 29-year old assistant in the Czech foreign ministry, present when the idea–an outcome of a project for the Council of Europe–was presented. Thanks indeed, Jaroslav Sedivy!

* research: the Galtung-Institut G-I, Director Naakow Hayford, also the executive arm of TRANSCEND International. At present the research is focused on the Octagon World Project, managed by Dietrich Fischer.

So, twenty years later, what are the results?

TPS: the first 100 dialogue-based conflict-trauma-project proposals are in the TUP book #1, 50 Years-100 Peace & Conflict Perspectives. The next 100 as TMS editorials. Out of 100, about 30 have been quite successful–like the [Council of Europe] mentioned above–the other 70 not yet, but successes can turn into failures; and vice versa.

G-I(in Grenzach-Basel, Germany): 22 trainees in methods-epistemology of the TRANSCEND approaches; workshops, conferences, handling TPU-TUP, and the Octagon Project of Problems-Proposals for a globalizing world.

TRANSCEND in the Arab World has mediated in 12 conflicts, like Muslim clerics vs Denmark over dialogue refusal[i]. TRANSCEND Latin America has moved judicial mediation forward and published 12 books in Spanish. TRANSCEND Norway runs SABONA–TRANSCEND in family-school-work–and the Hardanger Academy for Peace*Development*Environment in Jondal. TRANSCEND Japan does reconciliation training for Northeast Asia, numerous courses, a journal, and theory. TRANSCEND Germany runs courses, many meetings, training, intercultural relations. TRANSCEND Canada-New Zealand, a huge project for high self-reliance and equity and low ecological footprint for villages all over. TRANSCEND Ghana, a permaculture experiment. TRANSCEND USA, workshops in Washington and mediation from California. TRANSCEND Italy, all of the above; and it was the link to the Italian Senate for a presentation on alternative defense for Europe. TRANSCEND Caucasus makes progress for peace, so do Russia and Nepal; TRANSCEND India struggles nonviolently against nuclear power plants. Etc.

The program for the coming years includes:

TPS: with about 30/100 mediations working well time has come to revisit the others–like Nepal February 2013, Caucasus September 2013–for exhibitions promoting solution-orientation; or more popular handbooks.

TPU: explore more niches like USA, asking participants, more SKYPE; onsite Peace*Development*Environment for the Arab world in Geneva.

TUP: massive reviews, advertising, possibly Amazon for e-books;

TMS: even more focus on solutions, particularly for USA-Israel;

TPC: involving the expertise of the whole TRANSCEND network;

G-I: develop the executive arm of TRANSCEND also in Norway, Spain.

Who pays for all this? Self-financing, by course fees and book sales, and this has worked for almost 20 years. But with the economic crisis, demand is down. There is e-book competition; and free courses. Professors Fischer and Galtung receive retirement benefits, however; and the countries are also self-financed.

TRANSCEND now needs outside support to survive. We are talking about Euro $94,000 for one year. Any amount contribution is welcome, for general support or for specific projects; and will be well publicized on our websites https://www.transcend.org/ and http://www.galtung-institut.de/.

Dear Reader: you can help us by buying something we can offer in return. Take one of our TPU courses this coming term, 23 September-20 December, on Advanced Conflict Transformation Around the World or Mediating at the Micro-Meso-Macro-Mega levels–we get the fee, you get knowledge and skills. And-or buy any number of our 22 TUP books at 25% discount, 50% discount beyond that, postage free. You keep or resell. We get money, you get books; or sell at a profit. You will find the necessary information about courses and books below. But donations are also most welcome, to our bank account: